The Los Angeles Clippers are looking forward to coming home
after the Grammy’s forced them on an arduous road trip over the last few
weeks.Don’t get them wrong; the Los Angeles Clippers
love the Grammy’s. But when you spend that much time on the road and
away from home, it’s easy to get cranky, as evidenced by the team’s big
loss at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder
on Sunday. With the Grammy’s wrapping up Sunday night though, the team
is making no secret about its feelings upon returning to LA. The Clippers do have a game in Dallas against the Mavericks
on Monday, but after that it’s home sweet home and the timing couldn’t
be better. The team is reeling after a road trip that’s cost them
several spots in the heated race for playoff position in
the Western
Conference of the NBA. While
the Clippers started their eight-game road trip well enough with two
wins in their first three games, the team has followed that up with four
straight losses, culminating in that ugly beatdown at the hands of the
Thunder, who snuffed out the Clippers thanks to a third quarter surge
that put the game out of reach and ended 131-108 in OKC’s favor.
Of
course, this road trip is merely the schedule’s way of evening itself
out some after the Clippers enjoyed a home-heavy first half schedule
that saw them play their 27th home game before they played their 19th
road game. As a result, the team will enjoy a four-game home stand after
Dallas, but go back on the road for another four straight beyond that.
After
nearly 8,500 miles traveled in a two-week span, the Los Angeles
Clippers are ready to come home. They stand in the thick of the Western
Conference playoff standings and if they want to remain in that position
or to even improve their lot, then they’ll need to make the best of
their time at Staples Center. Given how their record has been away from
there of late, it’s not a stretch to say they’ll want every win they can
get at home.
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